


Of Witches and Angel Blades

by WarlockWriter



Category: Supernatural, The Evil Gene (2015)
Genre: Dana needs to be punched in the face, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Witches are Evil, did I really manage to fulfill three challenges?, too many prompts in one fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-29 22:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18303419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarlockWriter/pseuds/WarlockWriter
Summary: The Trickster is in London, on the trail of his next vengeance victim. But what if he's hunting the wrong person?Beta'd by the awesomeHixyStix.





	Of Witches and Angel Blades

**Author's Note:**

> This story fulfills four prompts from three different challenges. (Cue Overachiever by Louden Swain.)
> 
> Gabriel Monthly Challenge: Assassin AU and “I was sent to kill you but oh shit you’re hot and after watching you I’ve kinda got a crush on you and now I have to save you from others trying to kill you”
> 
> Gabriel Bingo: "Caught watching X sleep"
> 
> RichShip Bingo: Murder husbands

Gabriel perched on the top of a roof, overlooking London. Even though he’d taken on the mantle of Loki centuries earlier, in his thoughts, he still used the name his Father had given him.

He wondered once again why he had come to this stinking city. The odors of sewage, blood and other distasteful things wafted up from the street below.

Some days he wondered if a huge fire wouldn’t be an improvement for the city. Oh wait, they’d had one of those a century ago. Time sometimes blurred for him.

On the other hand, it was a good place for the Vengeance gig, and he always came back every decade or so. This time around, he’d gotten word of a new assassin. He was supposed to be very good, with only a handful of kills to his name so far, but his last target had been well protected and considered well nigh unkillable.

Gabriel didn’t exactly have a particular hatred for assassins, but something about this one had piqued his interest. Undoubtedly he was an obnoxious bastard, full of himself and in need of being taken down a peg or two.

He’d used a finding spell he’d picked up a couple of centuries ago from Kali, and the spell had led him to this area, just south of Bischopsgate. He’d gone to the highest roof he could find, wanting the best view of the area.

Once he was in position, he let his awareness roam free, opening himself up to whatever impressions came his way. Ah, there. Something was pinging on his senses, but, wait, that was odd. He wasn’t getting the ping on his pagan senses, but something was calling to the _angel_ in him? That hadn’t happened in so long that he’d almost managed to forget he’d ever been an angel. The Loki side of him was so much easier to immerse himself in. He could focus on vengeance and forget he’d once been a being of love.

However, now that his angel awareness was awakened, he couldn’t ignore it, and he cast about until he found the man who had “called” to him. It was a short flight to a nearby alley. Casually, he stepped into the street, letting himself walk in the direction of his target. As he approached, his steps faltered. So that was why this man had called to the angel side of him.

Leaning against a nearby wall stood a man, exactly the same height as Gabriel. His face and hair were filthy, but Gabriel’s senses saw through the muck to the features beneath. Features exactly like the ones he wore. The same hair, although cut shorter, too short to curl at the nape of his neck like Gabriel’s did. And he knew without looking that the man’s eyes would be the same whiskey gold as his own.

What was someone from his vessel line doing in London? That line did tend to have a certain look, but his appearance was unusually close to his own, and he was intrigued.

Now his pagan senses were raising the alarm. He kept walking, not letting his stride change. The spell he’d used to search for the assassin was tied into his pagan self, and it was telling him he was near the assassin. He was developing a suspicion, and it was time to see if he was right.

Wrapping a simple illusion around him to conceal himself from any passersby, he reversed his steps and walked back to where his vessel was leaning. Gabriel stopped nearby, close enough to listen to what the man was muttering, but far enough away that the man wouldn’t sense the presence of a watcher.

If he was the assassin, Gabriel had to assume he had particularly sharp senses.

“Must kill the demon. Black eyes haunt me. Dana says the demon is in him. Gordon must die. Dana says so. Demon could kill everyone in London. I’m the only hope. Dana says so.”

Gabriel took a step back to consider. Okay, this wasn’t what he’d expected. Who was Dana? How did she know about demons? And was this “Gordon” the target of the assassination? Was he really a demon, or was this guy just nuts?

He considered. While he hadn’t done it in a long time, being an angel allowed him to enter this man’s mind. The fact that he was a vessel made it even easier. Was that what he wanted to do? He didn’t want to play one of his pranks on his vessel, did he? But his instincts were telling him the man was in trouble. Could he leave one of his vessels to suffer?

Finally, Gabriel sighed. It was a terrible idea, but, no, vessels were special to him, especially ones from this particular line. He’d hang around a bit longer and learn a bit more.

Carefully, he reached out to...Griff was his name. And boy, was he ever in trouble. His thoughts were completely shadowed in the distinctive darkness of madness. This guy was so out of touch with reality that it was a miracle he was able to function, much less perform the tricky kills he’d managed.

He eased a bit farther into his thoughts. And saw red. There was a spell tied into Griff’s soul. And _no one did that to one of his vessels! Ever_.

That decided him. He needed more information before proceeding.

Moving as quickly as only he could, he stepped forward, put a hand to Griff’s forehead before he could react--although, fast reflexes, the man did almost get a hand up to try to stop him--caught him as he fell and flew to one of his sanctuaries.

***

Griff awoke slowly. Where was he? He remembered being in London, waiting for his target to come by. He’d been tracking his target

(demon)

and he vaguely remembered something approaching him. He hadn’t been able to see it, but he’d felt it. Then nothing.

He sat up and opened his eyes. The room was...unexpected. Small but clean and simply furnished. The bed he was lying on had...he patted the mattress...an actual mattress stuffed with feathers instead of straw. The blankets were clean and soft. A small rug covered the floor, and there was a chest at the foot of the bed and a small table and two chairs.

Griff glanced down at himself and blinked. He wasn’t wearing anything except loose trousers, which were clean. And he was clean. He ran his hands up and down his arms. No dirt or grime. He touched his face and hair. Someone had shaved him and washed his hair. Frowning, he tried to remember the last time he’d been clean. Finally, he came up blank on that.

Where was he, and who had brought him here?

The door opened and a man entered. Griff didn’t recognize him, but he looked him up and down, automatically evaluating for threats.

He was about Griff’s height, he thought. Light brown hair. Oddly golden eyes. Dressed in a simple tunic, belted at the waist and falling down over tight-fitting leather breeches. The way they looked, the breeches should have hampered his movements, but he walked loose and easy.

Griff knew danger when he saw one, and he thought this man could be very dangerous if he wanted to be. But he felt no immediate threat to himself.

“Who are you?” he asked.

The man raised an eyebrow at him and didn’t answer right away. Was he trying to decide which answer to give him? Which meant Griff might not be able to believe him.

“Gabriel,” he finally said. “You can call me Gabriel.”

Griff frowned. He could call him Gabriel? Then what did he usually go as? “Gabriel? As in the archangel?”

Gabriel snorted out a laugh which was completely devoid of humor. “Sure. We’ll go with that.”

“Why did you bring me here, Gabriel? And where is here?”

The man pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. “This is one of my safe houses. As to why, I brought you here?” He frowned. “You’re not commenting on the fact that we look alike?”

Griff tilted his head in confusion. “We do?” He tried to remember the last time he’d looked at himself and cursed how slowly his thoughts were moving. And how bad his memory was. “I don’t remember the last time I looked at myself. Or even what I look like.”

Gabriel looked as if he was considering. “May I touch you?”

Griff shrank back involuntarily. “Uh. I don’t know.” He didn’t like being touched. Touch never went well for him.

“I promise I won’t hurt you. But I might be able to help clear your thoughts.”

“How?”

Another laugh with no humor in it. “Remember how I said we could go with the archangel thing.”

Griff’s eyebrows crawled up his face. “You mean you really are the archangel Gabriel?” He knew it should surprise him more, but he knew demons existed. So why not archangels?

Again, all his instincts told him this...angel?...didn’t intend to harm him. “All right?”

Apparently that was good enough for Gabriel because he leaned forward and touched Griff’s forehead with one gentle finger.

_And suddenly his thoughts were clear. Painfully so._

He clapped his hands to the sides of his head and doubled forward. He’d rarely felt such pain. But he knew the angel hadn’t meant to hurt him. He just hadn’t understood how long it had been since Griff had been able to think clearly.

“Sorry. Sorry,” Gabriel was saying. Another gentle touch to his forehead, and the pain faded, as if being wrapped in soft cloths. He could still think clearly, but now it didn’t hurt. Much.

“What did you do?”

“I think I healed you. Didn’t quite realize how much damage you’d suffered. I didn’t expect to hurt you.”

Griff put a hand to his forehead. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with this much clarity. Had he really been thinking he’d been hunting demons? Memories of what Dana had done to him came flooding back, and he closed his eyes. Maybe clarity was overrated.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Gabriel asked, his tone gentle and undemanding.

“Give me a minute,” Griff said. “Uh. It’s been a while. I need to...sort through some stuff?”

Gabriel stood up. “Take as much time as you need. I’ll get some food. You don’t look like you’ve eaten well in a while.”

Griff opened his eyes. “Wait a minute. You said I looked like you. But I still don’t remember what I look like.”

Gabriel smiled at him, raised his hand and snapped two fingers together. A small hand mirror dropped to the bed beside Griff. He knew he should be surprised, but he also thought maybe he was beyond surprise by now. Gabriel snapped his fingers again, and a shirt and a pair of low boots appeared beside him. “Those should be your size and comfortable.”

Griff ignored the clothes for a moment and picked up the mirror. It was good quality with hardly any imperfections in the glass. His face stared back at him. He glanced at it, at Gabriel and back at the mirror. There were minor differences, but yes, basically, they looked like twins.

“See what I meant?” Gabriel asked.

“Uh yeah.”

“Take your time. Just follow your nose to the kitchen.” With that, he left, leaving Griff to try to sort through what had just happened to him.

He remembered waiting to kill a target, who he now knew wasn’t a demon. Or was it? Angels existed, apparently. What about demons? On the other hand, he knew Dana had been messing with him for years. He wasn’t sure what to think. While he liked the new clarity, he wished it brought him some answers.

Maybe Gabriel had some answers? Or would be willing to help him? Assuming he was deserving of help? He was pretty sure he’d done some awful things.

Sighing, he climbed out of bed, running his hand along the soft mattress and comfortable blankets. The air was chilly, and he quickly got dressed. The shirt was soft and warm, and, as promised, the boots fit like they were molded to his feet.

He left the room and walked down the short hallway, past two other doors. Other bedrooms? A jakes? He took a cautious sniff. If one of them was a jakes, Gabriel had some way to keep it fresh. He didn’t open any of the doors, not wanting to intrude on his host’s privacy.

As commanded, he followed his nose in the direction of good smells. Roasting meat and fresh baked bread. His stomach growled. When had he been hungry last? He vaguely remembered eating bland food which was filling but not much else.

Gabriel was slicing the roast and laying thick slices on bread. He turned as Griff entered the kitchen and handed him the plate. “Here you go. Eat up.” He nodded in the direction of the room’s single window where a pie was cooling. Cherry, if his nose wasn’t wrong. “That’s for later,” Gabriel said. “Eat everything on your plate, and you can have some.”

Griff took the plate and sat down at the well-made wooden table. Everything in this house was simple but well-crafted. He wondered if the angel had magicked it up? Or whatever angels did.

Gabriel brought his own plate and sat down opposite Griff. He rolled a slice of meat into the bread and took a bite. “So tell me your story. When you have some food in you.”

Griff hesitantly picked up some meat and rolled it in the bread like Gabriel had. He took a cautious bite. And then finished it so fast he almost choked. It was the best food he’d tasted in a long time. Maybe ever.

“Easy there, Griff,” Gabriel said with a chuckle. “There’s plenty more where that came from.”

Griff managed to slow down for the rest of what was on his plate. Once he’d cleaned up every scrap of meat and mopped up the juices with his last morsel of bread, he regarded his plate sadly.

“Want more?” Gabriel asked.

Griff realized the angel was still only half way through his meal, and he felt a sudden pang of embarrassment.

Gabriel shook his head and stood up, taking Griff’s plate. “Nope. None of that. You’re fine. I haven’t had anyone appreciate my cooking in a while.”

“You really cooked it? I mean, you didn’t use...I don’t know? Angel magic or something?”

Gabriel sliced more meat and bread, piling both high on the plate. “Nope. I cook. I don’t do it often.” He turned and motioned to himself. “I don’t actually need to eat. But I enjoy it, so I cook when I get the fancy.” He brought the plate back to Griff and put it down before going to the window and bringing back the pie. “And sweet things? I really love those.”

Gabriel sliced the pie and put two pieces on a plate before pushing it over to Griff. Then he started eating the rest of the pie directly from the pan. Griff stifled a grin at that. The angel was oddly like a kid in that moment.

He finished his meal and his pie and almost felt normal with a comfortably full stomach.

“So, tell me your story?” Gabriel asked, licking the last of the cherry juice from his fingers.

Griff sat back, wishing for something to drink.

Gabriel snapped his fingers, and a mug appeared in front of each of them. Griff examined his. Some sort of ale. He took a cautious sip. Strong but good. He’d have to be careful, though. He definitely didn’t want to get drunk.

“I’m not sure how much I can tell. Thanks for clearing up my ability to think, but my memory is still pretty bad.” He thought for a minute, trying to sort through vague impressions and distant memories. “I think I was a nobleman’s son? Or a soldier? Something like that.”

Gabriel nodded. “Can you ride, and what weapons can you use?”

“Yes, I can ride. I think I can even ride well. And I know sword and...longbow?”

Gabriel’s eyebrow went up. “An odd combination. Sword is a nobleman’s weapon. The longbow isn’t.”

“I know.” He shook his head.

“Can you read and write?”

He didn’t have to think about that one. “Definitely.”

“Noble’s son makes sense then.” He got a far away look for a moment. “I think I remember a vessel line in the nobility somewhere.”

“Vessel?”

Gabriels’ expression cleared. “Yeah. It’s why we look the same.” He motioned to himself. “I can’t exist among you humans in my true form. It causes...a commotion.”

Griff surprised himself by laughing. He remembered an old priest telling him about archangels. “All those eyes, you mean?”

Gabriel grinned back at him. “Oh, you’ve seen me then?”

“No, but I’ve heard stories.” He enjoyed the humor for a moment. He liked this Gabriel. “So vessels? A body you can...I don’t know? Inhabit?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Every angel has several human lines that are designed for them.” He pointed to Griff. “You’re from one of those lines. This particular line tends to have a very similar look, but you’re unusually close to me.”

“And do these vessels have any choice in the matter?” Griff asked.

“Of course. We’re angels, not devils. We don’t take a vessel without consent. It’s literally impossible for us to do otherwise.”

Griff heaved out a sigh. “Good. Sorry for asking.”

“Nope. It’s fine. So you remember learning to ride and to fight. What else do you remember?”

Griff thought hard about it. Finally, he said, “I think I remember being in a battle. Maybe being injured? I think that’s how Dana found me.”

Gabriel sat back in his chair. “Tell me more about Dana.”

The angel had a hard edge in his voice, but Griff knew it wasn’t aimed at him. “Uh. She’s a hedge witch, I think? I’m pretty sure she healed me. And that led to her getting some sort of hold on me. Does it make me sound crazy to think that she cast a spell on me?” He was talking to an angel who could summon stuff out of thin air, but he still had to wonder.

Gabriel was shaking his head. “No, that doesn’t sound crazy at all. In fact, I know she cast a spell on you. I broke it when I healed you.” His voice got very low and intense. “She tied it to your soul. Which was completely unacceptable. Especially to one of my vessels.”

Griff couldn’t help touching his chest. “My soul? Is it… Is it okay?”

Gabriel gave him a reassuring smile. “As fine as I could make it. Yes, there was some damage, and I’m sorry about that, but I fixed it as best I could. If we keep you away from her clutches, you should be fine.”

That wasn’t as reassuring as he’d like, but he supposed it was the best he could hope for.

“So she put a spell on you and sent you out to be an assassin? Pardon me for saying it, but that seems odd, even for a witch. Who are odd at the best of times.”

“I guess. Like I said, I don’t remember much. Just impressions mostly. She talked about demons a lot. Seemed to really have a thing against them. But now I don’t know if the people I killed were really demons or not.” He closed his eyes, overcome with regret. “Maybe I’m not a good person. Maybe she got ahold of me because I’m really like that. A killer.”

He heard the angel shift in his chair. “Do you still want to kill Gordon? Or anyone else?”

Griff opened his eyes. “No. I mean, unless Gordon is like a monster or something. Or really is a demon. Then. Maybe?”

Gabriel’s lips quirked. “I think you’re all right then. If you were really a killer, I think you’d have answered that one differently.”

A tiny bit of relief went through him. “But what now? I mean, I’m grateful to you and all, but I’m not exactly sure what to do now.”

A broad grin crossed Gabriel’s face. “Well, as it happens, I do have some ideas about that.

***

Gabriel sent Griff back to his room to sleep. Guy looked like he hadn’t had a full night in who knew how long. Besides. Gabriel had to do some looking to find Dana the witch.

He hadn’t wanted to say anything to Griff, but witches came in different varieties, and he wanted to know a bit about where Dana fit before they went after her. He wasn’t worried about being hurt--there weren’t many, if any, witches that could harm him--but he did want some idea if she was evil or yet another victim.

Going on the assumption that she needed to be close to maintain her spell, he traveled back to London from his safe house in Italy. He knew she needed to stay close to Griff because her spell had started to unravel as soon as he’d flown Griff away from the city.

He followed his pagan senses around the city, looking for something that triggered his need for vengeance. If a witch didn’t show up on his senses, he needed a new gig.

It didn’t take him long to find her. She was in one of the nicer parts of the city, near the Tower but not too near. So witchcraft made for a good living. That wasn’t a point in her favor.

Gabriel knew he needed to proceed with caution. While she couldn’t harm him, if she were a skilled enough witch, she’d sense his presence and might decide to skip town. She might even get a hint of his true nature and create the kind of hex bag that would block his angelic senses. Sure, he’d be able to find her eventually, but he didn’t want to work that hard. He was intrigued by Griff and thought he might like to get to know his vessel a bit more. It wasn’t exactly immoral to be attracted to him, was it? And even if it were, he was the Trickster God, so he figured he could pretty much do what he wanted anyway.

He wrapped himself in another illusion, this one tighter than the one he’d used to approach Griff and flew into the room where he’d located her. It wasn’t a single room, but a small suite. So yes, she was living well.

She wasn’t present at the moment, which was fine with him. He preferred to investigate her without her present. He walked around her rooms and saw enough to get a sense of her power level (considerable) and the source of her power (demonic--shocker). He suspected she’d done a deal to get her ability, although she might have some small native ability as well.

Gabriel smiled as he made one last circuit of the room. It wasn’t a nice smile. It was the smile his victims saw when he decided to get his hands dirty. He might not know the demon who had done the deal, but he knew how to find out who had.

With a thought, he flew from the room, using a bit of his grace to be certain no trace of him remained behind. He’d have to be careful about using too much of that, but he thought that he’d get away with that tiny bit.

While most people would have to find a crossroads and do a deal or find a bunch of random ingredients and burn them to summon a demon, Gabriel just flew to a field, concentrated his pagan power and spoke the demon’s name.

“Crowley.”

A moment later a dapper, well-dressed man of almost Gabriel’s height appeared. His eyes glowed red for a moment before he spoke, his cultured accent sounding annoyed. “Loki? What are you summoning me for? I know you’re not looking to make a deal.”

Gabriel gave him Loki’s trademark cocky grin. He’d been getting too close to his angel side, and putting on Loki felt scratchy and awkward. “I need some information, Crowley, and I think you owe me.”

It was true. The Crossroads demon was new to the game, and Gabriel had been happy to help him out a few years back. It earned him a favor and had been a sweet end to a vengeance gig.

The demon sighed. “I guess I do. Hoping you’d forget.”

“Not likely,” Gabriel said. “Demon favors aren’t easy to come by.”

Crowley scowled at him. “And you’re cashing it in. Must be something big. It wasn’t _that_ big a favor.”

Gabriel waved him down. “No, it’s not going to stretch you or our relationship. I just need a name.”

Crowley gave him a suspicious look. “Not giving you the true name of a Prince of Hell.”

Gabriel threw back his head in a laugh. Not that Crowley knew it, but Gabriel had those already. “Nothing so large. I’m wanting to put a witch in her place. Looks to me like she got her powers from a demon deal. I was wondering which demon it was and how much longer she has. No point in doing the vengeance thing if she’s going to be hellhound bait in a week.”

Crowley considered for a moment. “Sounds easy enough.” Gabriel caught the smug undertone and knew the demon thought he’d pulled something smart. He’d let him. “What’s the name?”

“Dana.”

Now Crowley pulled a face like he’d just swallowed something nasty. “Oh, that bitch. Yeah, she still has several years left on her deal.”

Gabriel sensed something. “Define several.”

Crowley’s expression soured even more, which was an accomplishment. “Don’t remind me, okay. She was my first deal. Got twenty from me. Still has eleven to go.”

Gabriel suppressed a laugh. While he sort of liked Crowley, he _was_ a demon. “So you won’t mind if I make her life miserable?”

Crowley waved a hand at him. “All yours. Want to kill her? Fine. Serves that one right.”

“I don’t always kill my victims, but I think I could make an exception here.”

Crowley raised an eyebrow. “What’s she to you? Sounds like a personal problem.”

Gabriel wasn’t about to give Crowley any information about Griff. “Not so much personal as I particularly detest witches.”

“Oi! Watch it. I’m a witch, I’ll have you know.”

“Present company excepted, then.”

“All right. Well, have at her then. Let me know how it goes.”

“You’ll know yourself, probably. If it goes the way I intend, you’ll have her in your warm clutches soon.”

Crowley’s expression clouded for a second and then cleared. “You send her to me within the week, and I’ll give you this one as a freebie.”’

Gabriel’s eyebrows went up. “That’s unusually generous of you. I’ll take it.”

They sealed it with a handshake. Gabriel knew Crowley fancied guys, and he didn’t want to give him any ideas.

The demon vanished, and Gabriel flew back to Griff. It would be good for the man to help with this one.

***

Gabriel landed in his safehouse and listened. Griff was still asleep. Following an instinct he wasn’t sure he really understood but couldn’t resist, he went to Griff’s room and opened the door, casually using a bit of his power so it didn’t make noise and wake the sleeping man.

He slipped into the room and just watched.

Sleeping humans were fascinating to him. He had never needed to sleep but had tried it a time or two. It had never worked, and he supposed the only way he could ever manage it would be if his power dropped so low that he was basically human. Since that would never happen, he supposed he would never experience sleep.

He had dream walked a few humans and had some idea of what dreaming was like. Griff’s eyes moved back and forth under his lids, and Gabriel knew he was dreaming. He had the sudden urge to dream walk him, but he resisted it. Griff wasn’t one of his victims. He didn’t need to find reasons to inflict fear and pain upon him in the name of vengeance. He just wanted to know what he was dreaming about. A certain archangel perhaps?

He felt an odd pain in his chest. Not a physical pain but something else. It was almost like when he’d first met Kali and they had gotten together. But this was different. Purer somehow? Kali had been a nice distraction, but he sensed Griff could be something more. A partner in his tasks, perhaps? Would the man be interested? Probably not.

The pain sharpened, and Gabriel felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes. That was something he hadn’t experienced often. If ever. Crying? Why was he doing that?

Griff’s eyes opened, and the man startled. Gabriel realized he’d moved farther in the room without having realized. How had that happened? He was standing right beside the bed, staring down at his vessel.

“Gabriel?” Griff asked, his tone soft and confused. “Why are you watching me sleep?”

Gabriel followed his instincts, knowing he was in touch with his angel side right now but not caring. He let Loki slip away from him, bent down and gently kissed Griff.

The man didn’t react for a moment and Gabriel thought maybe he’d screwed up. However, before he could pull back, Griff sat up, wound his arms around Gabriel’s neck and kissed back. A little desperately. As if something rode on that kiss.

It didn’t last long, and they both sat for a moment, foreheads pressed together. Gabriel felt more at ease in himself than he had in a long time. Maybe even since he’d left home?

“Thank you,” Griff said.

Gabriel pulled back and was briefly lost in golden eyes so similar to his own. “For what?”

“That.” Griff made a motion towards Gabriel’s lips. “Uh. Dana wasn’t...kind to me. I hadn’t realized how much I needed something to replace the memory of...her.”

Gabriel’s wings spread behind him without him willing them. Griff’s eyes followed them, and the angel knew his vessel could see them. Anger burned hot within him, and his eyes glowed blue. His grace surged within him, needing an outlet.

This was the angelic vengeance side of him, not the Trickster, but that was fine. He could work with that.

“Gabriel?” Griff asked. There was no fear in his voice, just question.

“How upset would you be if Dana were dead?” Gabriel asked, his tone flat and hard.

Confusion crossed Griff’s features but was quickly replaced by resolve. “Uh. Not upset at all.” He paused. “Relieved, I think. I mean, you got me away from her, and I’m afraid she’s just going to find someone else.”

“Good.” He wanted to put some warmth in his voice, not wanting to frighten the man he’d just kissed. But it was hard. He was so angry right now at what he knew had been done to his vessel.

Griff stood up, his back straight, head held high. “When, where and how? Well, when and where? I can do the how.”

Gabriel was pleased that Griff didn’t seem frightened of him. It had been a while since he’d had a companion for one of his gigs. One trained as an assassin was just a bonus.

He let his wings return to the space between time where he kept them. Griff’s eyes followed their departure, but he didn’t ask any questions. “First I need to strip her power from her. I’m not sure you can kill her otherwise.”

“Fine. How do you do that?”

Gabriel let one of Loki’s grins cross his face. “She’s going to learn why you don’t mess with an angel’s vessel. Her powers come from a demon deal. The demon who did the deal wants her dead, so there won’t be anything to stop me from using my grace to rip it from her.”

Griff nodded. “And I presume you know where she lives?” He shook his head. “That’s one of the blank spots in my memory.”

“I do.”

“Then I need a dagger. I’d like to make this one up close and personal.”

Gabriel smiled again, this one warmer. “I have just the thing for you.” His blade fell into his hand, and he gave it to Griff. “Let’s see how that suits you.”

Griff took the blade and hefted it experimentally. Gabriel could sense that his blade liked where it was and that it would serve him. “Feels good,” Griff said. “Well balanced.” He tilted his head. “And it’s… Is it trying to...talk to me?”

“Not exactly,” Gabriel answered. “But it does like you.”

“It’s a magical blade, then?”

“Sort of. It’s my personal blade. Every angel can produce one. Any human can use one, but I think because you’re my vessel you’ll be able to do a bit more with it. It should cut through any defenses Dana has.”

Gabriel felt his blade’s hum through his grace. Yes, his blade approved of the idea. Good.

He reached for Griff again, who came forward, handing over the blade. Gabriel took it and made it vanish, but he hadn’t been asking for the weapon. He cupped Griff’s chin and brought him in for another kiss. The man responded eagerly, and their bodies slotted together.

Gabriel made a decision. Griff would live only a blink of an eye as an archangel measured time, but he could make much of that brief time. If he was willing.

“Come with me once this is done,” he said, breaking the kiss.

“All right,” Griff said, sounding slightly breathless. “I don’t think I can go home again. I barely remember my home.”

“Good. I can show you the world.”

“I’d like that.” His expression hardened. “But let’s get rid of the witch first.”

Gabriel nodded. “We can do that.” He held out a hand. “Fly with me, and we’ll see get started.”

He was pleased to see that Griff didn’t hesitate to take his hand.

They flew.

***

Not that he had ever thought about it, but if he had thought about it, he was pretty sure he’d have expected something more from flying with an archangel. He was a little disappointed in nothing more than disappearing from the safe house and appearing on a street in one of the better parts of London.

On the other hand, people were walking past them without appearing to notice they were there.

“I’ve got an illusion on us,” Gabriel said. “They can’t see or hear us.”

“Handy,” Griff said. “That makes assassinations a lot easier.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Don’t get too used to it. I don’t usually use my powers this freely, and I don’t want you to get rusty.”

“All right,” Griff said as he examined his surroundings, automatically lining up escape routes. “How do you want to handle this?”

Gabriel had a faraway look in his amber eyes. Was he checking if Dana was home?

“She’s there now.”

Apparently that had been exactly what he had been doing.

“I don’t sense any new wardings or other spells,” he continued. “So I don’t think she realizes I paid her a visit earlier.”

Griff nodded. “Not ready for us then. That’s good.”

“I agree.” Gabriel’s eyes glowed blue briefly, and Griff felt _something_ wrap around him. It wasn’t visible, but he definitely felt it. “That’s a short term protection for you. I plan to keep her too busy to have time to do anything to you, but I’d rather be safe.”

“I appreciate that.”

Gabriel’s blade dropped into his hand, and he gave it to Griff, who took it eagerly. It was the best balanced weapon he’d ever held. He thought he could hear it humming in the back of his mind. It should have been frightening, but it wasn’t. Instead it felt right.

“I’m going to take down her protections and rip her power from her. Once she’s defenseless, you can take her. I’ll be there as backup if you need, but I don’t want to take the kill from you.”

Griff nodded, already composing himself for the kill. This wasn’t how he usually approached it. He planned jobs for days, watching his victim, getting a feel for where they lived, who they knew and how they moved. On the other hand, he knew quite a lot about Dana, and he hoped Gabriel would make up for the rest.

“Ready?” the archangel asked.

Griff held out a hand without being asked. “I’m ready.”

They flew again.

***

Gabriel followed his sense of Dana’s presence and landed in the room where she was apparently working on a spell. He suspected she was trying to locate her wayward assassin because he could smell the odor of jasmine hanging heavy in the room. Jasmine was an important part of finding spells.

She was quick. He had to give her that. Almost before he landed, she was whirling to face him, hand outstretched. He felt energy forming, and it rang alarm bells in both his angel and pagan senses. He cast his grace in a shield around him and Griff, and the energy splattered against the shield and dissipated.

He heard Griff moving behind him and was vaguely aware the man was ducking behind a nearby table. That was good. He could focus all of his attention on Dana without worrying about Griff.

The witch waved a hand in a shielding motion of her own. Gabriel bared his teeth in a grin.

“That won’t help you, bitch,” he said. “You don’t know what you’re up against.”

She didn’t look worried. Her long hair flowed around her shoulders and fell to the middle of her back. Under different circumstances he thought he might have found her attractive. “You’re a pagan god,” she said, her tone dismissive. “A Trickster perhaps?” She gave him a once over, and Gabriel let her. “Loki perhaps?”

He nodded. “That’s excellent, but you’re only partially correct.”

He spread his wings, and her eyes followed the movement, widening as they did so.

“You’re an angel?”

He smiled. “Not just an _angel_ , cunt. An _archangel_. Gabriel to be precise.”

He raised his hand, drawing his grace to him. It had been centuries since he had stretched his powers, and he thrilled at the flow of grace through his vessel. He gathered it, formed it and let it flow from his hands. His eyes glowed blue, and grace sparked along his wings.

His grace hit her square in her chest, punching through her defenses like they weren’t even there. She staggered back, going down on one knee.

Gabriel started to smile in grim satisfaction, and he heard Griff moving behind him, heading in her direction. His angel blade sang in his awareness. However, as Griff passed him, on his way to Dana, he noticed something.

He’d taken down her protections but hadn’t touched her connection to the demonic link that powered her witch abilities.

Horror spread through him. Griff would never be able to kill her like that. She was always recovering, and he could see her reaching for her powers. If he didn’t do anything, she’d regain control of his mind. There was no telling what she would do then.

Gabriel started to yell out a warning, but it was too late. Griff was there, blade coming up in a perfect thrust under her rib cage. Gabriel just knew it would fail, stopped by the demonic link.

His angel blade sang louder, a triumphant crescendo in his mind. To Gabriel’s surprise, his blade cut through the link and, without pausing, continued into her chest, guided by Griff’s trained hand.

Dana gaped, glanced down at the blade embedded in her chest. She opened her mouth, started to say something, but the light in her eyes went out before any words came out.

Griff twisted the knife, first one direction, then the other. The angel blade’s song subsided into a satisfied hum.

Gabriel’s wings furled, and his shoulders relaxed. Griff had wielded his blade perfectly. They had won.

***

Griff had known he should have been nervous, but he already trusted Gabriel. He couldn’t see the angel’s power clearly, but he had enough of a sense of it to see when he’d attacked her protections.

The blade in his hand had urged him on, and he’d taken advantage of Dana’s momentary surprise to charge. His training plus surprising guidance from the blade told him where and how to attack, and he’d met only momentary resistance to his thrust. The blade had been singing in his mind, and it cut through the resistance with little effort.

Dana slumped and fell to the floor. The blade almost seemed to draw itself from her body. Griff had the oddest sense of contempt from it, and he was pleased the blade shared his opinion of his former mistress.

Former being the best possible word.

Gabriel pulled him against him, turning him in his arms to kiss him thoroughly.

The blade seemed to approve of that as well.

When the angel broke the kiss, he said, “I only took down her protections. I didn’t sever her link to the demon deal. I thought for certain she was going to capture your mind again. I tried to warn you, but I wasn’t fast enough.”

Griff pulled back from Gabriel’s embrace just enough to regard the blade, turning it and watching it glint in the dim light from several candles. “It knew what to do and I think it cut the link.”

Gabriel reached out to take his blade, and it went eagerly to his hand. However, he knew it had accepted Griff and would fight with him again if needed.

“It’s a clever blade.”

Griff moved closer, settling his head on Gabriel’s chest. “So does the offer still stand?” He sounded as if he expected the answer to be no.

Gabriel kissed the top of his head. “Absolutely. Where would you like to go first? We can see the world together.”

“And punish those who need it?”

Gabriel laughed. “Absolutely!”

Griff sighed and made no effort to move. “Then I don’t care. As long as I’m with you.”

Gabriel felt that odd warmth in his chest again. He thought he could get used to it.

Spreading his wings, he flew. Time to cross the ocean. There were things happening in those new colonies. Might be plenty of opportunities there.

And this time he’d have company. He thought he’d enjoy that.


End file.
